State Initiative Tackles "Out of Field" Teachers

Franklin County is among four school districts that will collaborate with Gulf Coast Community College and Florida State University-Panama City on a new "Fast Packs" initiative designed to put more appropriately certified teachers in area classrooms.

Representatives from the two colleges and Bay, Holmes, Gulf and Franklin school districts gathered at the FSU-PC campus Friday to announce the initiative, to be funded by a $463,000 Florida Department of Education grant.

Susan Butler, chairwoman of GCCC's Social Sciences program, said there were 249 classrooms spread among the four counties where about 3,800 students were being taught by "out-of-field" teachers. Essentially, those teachers are not adequately trained or certified in the subject they're teaching.

The grant will target area teachers in seven subject areas, including physics, chemistry, math, English and social studies, who are teaching out of field or not properly certified.

Butler said finding certified teachers in math and science was a top priority locally and statewide. "Those are some of the hardest fields to fill," she said.

FSU-PC Education Program faculty member Marion Fesmire said 105 teachers in the four school districts, 15 for each subject area, would be targeted with the grant.

Fesmire said participating teachers in the Fast Packs program will be able to access training modules, with content based on Florida Sunshine State standards, online from their homes. Those teachers will take Florida teacher exams in particular subject areas at the end of the program. "We'll look at the pass rates in those areas," she said.

Fesmire said the colleges and school districts hope to implement the program by February 2009.

The local initiative will serve as a pilot program for the rest of state, and Fesmire said Fast Packs should launch statewide later in 2009.

FSU-PC Dean George DePuy said the Fast Packs grant resonated with him on a personal level. He said he took some high school science classes from a teacher he described as unqualified, leaving him initially unprepared at the college level.